In recent years, the Avon Grove School
District has made a point to recognize the achievements of its
student-athletes by inviting them to a school board meeting at the
conclusion of the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons. At the
school board meeting on Dec. 15, it was time to honor the standout
athletes who competed in sports during the fall season.

Vanessa Robtison, the Avon Grove High
School athletic director, led a presentation on 24 student-athletes
who excelled in their respective sports—and in the classroom.
Robtison noted that the 24 athletes recognized have a combined GPA of
3.941375.

Here's a look at some of the athletes
who were honored that evening:

Cheerleading

Robtison highlighted the
accomplishments of two senior cheerleaders, Emma Meade and Samantha
Curran. Robtison lauded Meade as a student “who sets the standard
as a terrific Avon Grove student, teammate and cheerleader. She is
respectful, hardworking and an example to everyone she meets. Emma
can always be seen working with the newer members of the squad to
show them how it is done and sharing what the team expectations are.
Emma is usually pushing herself and her group to be the best they can
be.”

Robtison said that Curran “works hard
at everything she does—her grades, her stunts and her coaching.”

Curran is a student-coach for the Avon
Grove Wildcats organization, where she coaches the girls at practices
and games. She has coached the Avon Grove Wildcats to two first-place
finishes in the past few years.

“Sam will truly be missed when she
graduates,” Robtison said.

Boys Cross Country

Hunter Jarratt is a senior and was
co-captain of the cross country team. As a captain, he helped lead
the team to a tenth-place finish at the District 1 Championship.

“This is the team's best finish as a
AAA school,” Robtison noted, explaining that Jarratt encouraged his
teammates to attend summer runs to get ready for the upcoming season,
and the hard work paid off.

“Hunter has a love for running that
his coach and teammates feed off,” Robtison explained.

Jarratt dropped a minute and 30 seconds
off his time and ran a season-best 16:32 at the Paul Short
Invitational. He will be attending Bloomsburg University next year.

Senior Matt Chapla came back from an
injury his junior year and was one of Avon Grove’s top three
runners all season long in 2016.

“Matt's dedication helped push his
team to their first ever victory over cross country powerhouse West
Chester Henderson on their home course,” Robtison explained. “He
was a big reason why Avon Grove had their best finishes at the Paul
Short Invitational and the Ches-Mont Championship.”

Chapla earned several awards throughout
the season, including medals at Bulldog (tenth place finish) and the
Ches-Mont Championships (12th place finish). He was named to the
Second Team All-Ches-Mont League. Chapla's personal best of 16:22
was just five seconds away from qualifying for States. Matt has plans
to attend Virginia Tech or Penn State after graduation.

Junior Noah Dusseau was also a standout
for the cross country team. He qualified for the state meet by
finishing 28th with a time of 16:08 at the ultra competitive District
1 Championship.

“Noah represented his team and school
well on a challenging course by finishing 67th with a time of 17:05,”
Robtison explained, noting that Dusseau was Avon Grove's best runner
all season long. He finished in second place to the state's top
returning runner at the Bulldog Invitational to win his first medal
of the season. He also earned a trophy for his fourth-place finish at
the Ches-Mont League championships.

“Noah has a bright future as he
returns next year as one of the top runners in the state,” Robtison
said. “He will help lead his team by being a team captain.”

Girls Cross Country

Robtison talked about three top
performers on the girls cross country squad: Molly Jacobs, Lauren
Jones, and Lindsay Smyth.

Jacobs has been a leader on the squad
since her freshman year, and helps motivate her teammates. She was
unanimously picked as a Second Team All-Ches-Mont League selection
based on her performances at the Ches-Mont League meet and districts.
She started the season at 20:32 and ran her best time of 19:26 at
the Paul Short Invitational. Jacobs can run a 20-minute 5k,
regardless of the course, weather, day, and who the competition is.
She is going to continue her academic and athletic career at Saint
Joe's, Loyola or York College next fall.

Jones was lauded for her leadership
skills, and for helping her teammates. “Lauren has naturally strong
leadership skills and cares about all the athletes on her team,”
Robtison explained. “She would pick up runners who had not quite
finished the workout or race and cheer for them.”

Jones started her senior season off at
24:13 and ended it with a time of 20:55. She is going to continue her
academic career at University of Tampa or Nova Southeastern
University in Fort Lauderdale next fall.

Smyth has also taken on leadership
roles with the team.

“This season,” Robtison explained,
“she served as the warmup captain. Each day, it was her
responsibility to rally up the team and get them started on the
warmup routine.”

Smyth was able to drop her time from
21:40 at the start of the season to 19:54 at districts, and has the
potential to improve her times even more. She will continue her
academic and athletic career at Kutztown University next fall.

Field Hockey

Lindsay Traino is a three-year varsity
player and starter for the field hockey team. As a captain, Lindsay
helped lead the team to a 13-5 season, a number-ten district ranking,
and first place Sportsmanship Award for the Ches-Mont National
League. She was also the team’s second-leading goal scorer with 10
goals, 6 assists and 26 points. Lindsay received Second Team
All-Ches-Mont Honors and was awarded the team's Coaches' Award for
the second consecutive year because of her dedication, work ethic,
and unending help throughout the season.

“Not only is Lindsay a stand-out
field hockey player, but she has excelled in the classroom as well
and will earn All-Academic Honors at both the state and national
levels,” Robtison explained.

Caroline McCulley is also a three-year
varsity player and captain of the field hockey team. Caroline played
an integral part in the team's success this season as both a forward
and midfielder, contributing two goals and 11 assists. She was named
as one of the team's Most Outstanding Seniors because of her
aggressive play, determination, and willingness to play any role on
the field. Caroline received Honorable Mention All-Ches-Mont honors,
and will also receive All-State and National All-Academic Honors.

Emma McCulley is a first-year varsity
forward for the field hockey team. “Emma was a huge contributor to
the team's success this season posting 15 goals, 10 assists and 40
points,” Robtison said, explaining that not since 2005 has 15 goals
been scored in a single season by a player. She consistently was in
the top 15 for all high school goal scorers in the Philadelphia area.

McCulley unanimously earned First Team
All-Ches-Mont honors. She was also awarded the Most Outstanding
Offensive Player of the year Award for the team. Next year, as a
senior, she will be looked to as a leader and key starter of the 2017
field hockey team.

Football

Brett Yurkovich was selected to the
2016 All-Ches-Mont Academic Team. He has a 4.47 GPA and is ranked 18
in a senior class with 456 members. Brett is a four-year member of
the football program and two-year varsity starter at wide receiver
with three receiving touchdowns in his career. He was also a
co-captain his senior year.

“Brett represents a great example of
what a student-athlete truly can be,” Robtison said.

Spencer Wallace is a three-year varsity
starter and a four-year member of the football program. Spencer was
selected as a Second Team All-Ches-Mont selection as an offensive
lineman and was a co-captain for the 2016 team. Spencer has a 3.91
GPA and is ranked 102 of 456 in his class. He was honored to wear the
number 55 jersey, which is given to the player on the football team
who most represents the core values of the program.

Golf

Matt Chalupa is a four-year player on
the varsity golf team and a three-time district qualifier. During his
senior year he served as captain of the golf team. He is an
outstanding student whose efforts and achievements, both academically
and scholastically, have earned him a significant financial package
to attend and play golf at York College.

Like Chalupa, Nick Conley is also a
four-year member on the golf team. This year, Conley qualified for
participation in the district tournament. “Nick is also an
excellent student and has been accepted by Purdue University, among
others,” Robtison explained. “His personal maturity and quiet
leadership have made him a senior leader, who leads by example.”

Boys Soccer

Stetson Fenster is a four-year varsity
player that includes two years as a team captain. He was a First Team
and Second Team All Ches-Mont League selection and a top goal-scorer
for two seasons. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, he
is also an exceptional student-athlete, a National Honor Society
member, and is well-respected by his teammates, peers, faculty and
staff. He is also a regionally qualified soccer official and has
aspirations of moving on to a national level.

Daniel Perkins is a co-captain and a
First Team All-Ches-Mont League defender during his senior season. He
also earned Honorable Mention All-Ches-Mont League honors as a
junior. He exhibits strong character and discipline on the field as
well as in the classroom. He also is the epitome of a
student-athlete. He was this year's recipient of the soccer team's
MVP Award after earning the team's Unsung Hero Award last year as a
junior.

Girls Soccer

Lauren Kretzing is a sophomore who
started every game this season and was one of the most consistent
players on the team. She is a member of the girls soccer leadership
council and holds the respect of all of her teammates. Her teammates
voted her as one of the players they most wanted to be the face of
the program.

“She embraced the role of playing one
of the most thankless, yet important positions on the entire field,”
Robtison explained. “She also stepped up the second half of the
season and took it upon herself to control the defensive midfield.
Her coaches and teammates are appreciative of her ability to always
remain positive and lighten the mood when necessary. She was voted
to the 2016 All-Ches- Mont League Honorable Mention Team.

Shannon Oakes played in the first two
games of her junior season and scored in both of them. She suffered
a season-ending foot injury in the second game and did not step back
on the field as a player again.

“She is a fierce competitor and it
was very difficult for her to sit on the bench,” Robtison
explained. “However, she did everything possible to do whatever she
could to benefit the team. Whether it was pumping players up before
games, or getting the team focused when needed, Shannon went above
and beyond as a leader and a captain. She became more of a coach on
the sidelines helping individual players and communicating what
needed to be done on the field.”

Genevieve Edelson earned the Most
Outstanding Senior on the team this year. She started every game and
was the most consistent defender on the team despite her desire to
play an attacking role. She expressed her willingness to do whatever
the team needed and was an example of a true team player. Her
positive, never-quit attitude and toughness provided a good example
for the younger players to follow. She was voted to the 2016
All-Ches-Mont League Second Team.

Girls Tennis

Senior Sophia Plankinton was a varsity
player all three years with the tennis team, a captain twice and the
top player on the squad the past two seasons. Her competitive drive
and analytical mind made her invaluable as she served as an extension
of the coaching staff and led by example at every practice and match.
She played in the Ches-Mont singles tournament twice and the doubles
tournament three times where she recorded multiple wins.

Marisa Glick is a sophomore that has
played varsity singles in both of her seasons so far. It's rare to
have underclassmen play on varsity in tennis, it's even more rare to
have them be one of the top three players. Her on-court performance
this year was commendable, recording wins against West Chester
Rustin, Great Valley and Unionville, a team that made it deep in the
state playoffs. She has been a captain once and will undoubtedly
return to that post again in the future as one of the most well-liked
and well-respected players on the team.

Girls Volleyball

Chloee Kleespies is a four-year varsity
starter who transferred to Avon Grove for her senior year. She led
the team this season with most kills and was second in leading the
team in digs and blocks. Chloee was awarded the Coaches Award this
year and received First Team All-Ches-Mont honors. She also receive
First Team All-Che-'Mont honors her freshman, sophomore and junior
year along with First Team All-District 1 honors her sophomore and
junior year. Chloee was also nominated for Gatorade Player of the
year. She will be playing volleyball and serve as a thrower in track
and field at the University of Toledo next fall.

Julia Crabtree is a four-year varsity
starter. As a team captain her junior and senior year, Julia was one
who impacted the team in a positive way. Always encouraging her
teammates on and off the court, Julia showed that she had a true
passion for the sport. She led the team this season in digs and aces
and was second leading the team in kills. She was awarded Most
Outstanding Senior and First Team All- Ches-Mont honors this season.
She was also named Second Team All-Ches-Mont her sophomore year,
First Team All-Ches-Mont her junior year and Second Team All-District
1 honors her junior year as well. Next fall, she will be playing
volleyball at Elon University.

Superintendent Christopher Marchese and
school board member Brian Gaerity both lauded the Avon Grove
student-athletes for all their hard work and dedication.

“The work that you have put into your
sports is amazing,” Gaerity said. “I'm really impressed by what
you do, and thank you for representing Avon Grove so well.”